Friday, June 26, 2009

Then comes 2011, when the studios start to get serious about super heroes once more with the fourth installment of the "Spider-Man" film series as well as 20th Century Fox's reboot of its "Fantastic Four" film franchise. Which will reportedly feature an all-new cast as well as a far darker take on this classic Marvel comic.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.

LaToya ran in the hospital sobbing, after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

BILL MURRAY (Dr. Peter Venkman)One of the early "Saturday Night Live" stars, Murray, now 58, has worked with director Wes Anderson on "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" and "The Darjeeling Limited." He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for "Lost in Translation," directed by Sofia Coppola, and recently completed production on "Zombieland" and "Get Low," which co-stars Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek. Murray also lent his voice to Anderson’s upcoming animated feature, "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

DAN AYKROYD (Dr. Raymond Stantz)This funnyman-turned-Blues Brother (and Oscar nominee for "Driving Miss Daisy") has had a consistent presence on the big and small screens. Aykroyd, 56, appeared in 2007’s "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," and had a recurring role on the sitcom "According to Jim." Offscreen, the Canadian native is pursuing a more "spirited" passion as creator of Canada’s Crystal Head Vodka.

SIGOURNEY WEAVER (Dana Barrett)Known for her larger-than-life performances in the "Alien" series, Weaver, 59, is about to hit the big screen in yet another otherworldly role. She plays Dr. Grace Augustine in the much-anticipated James Cameron flick "Avatar." Earlier this year, Weaver came down to Earth for the Lifetime original movie "Prayers for Bobby," a story of a gay teenager’s suicide and his conservative mother’s road to repentance.

HAROLD RAMIS (Dr. Egon Spengler)Despite being one of the film’s lesser-known stars, Ramis, 64, has had a consistent writing, directing and acting career since "Ghostbusters." He played Seth Rogen’s dad in "Knocked Up," had a role in "Walk Hard" and is in the new Jack Black-Michael Cera comedy "Year One," which he directed and co-wrote.

WILLIAM ATHERTON (Walter Peck)After getting his big break in "The Sugarland Express" (1974), Atherton garnered success in a few dramas before establishing himself as an ’80s cult icon in "Ghostbusters." Since then, the actor, now 61, has worked on "The Pelican Brief" and "The Last Samurai" and made TV appearances on shows including "Desperate Housewives," "Law & Order" and "Monk." Most recently, Atherton was on NBC’s "Life."

ANNIE POTTS (Janine Melnitz)Potts, 56, continued to have a successful career starring on the TV sitcom "Designing Women." When that show was canceled, she went on to guest appearances on series like "Ugly Betty" and "Law & Order: SVU." Younger fans can also catch her in the upcoming "Toy Story 3," where she again lends her voice to the animated Little Bo Peep.

ERNIE HUDSON (Winston Zeddmore)Thanks to his big break in "Ghostbusters," Hudson, 63, has maintained a long, relatively busy career in Hollywood. Aside from appearing in movies like "Congo" and "The Basketball Diaries," he’s also noted for his roles in the cult classic "The Crow" and the HBO series "Oz." Most recently, Hudson appeared in "Dragonball Evolution," which was released in April. And he just made his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone."

Best Picture: Realistically, Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” is probably the most likely summer Oscar nominee, considering its esteemed pedigree. However, “The Hurt Locker” is the kind of smart thriller that could make a dent during awards season and blow the race wide open. But if I had to pick one summer movie that will earn some kind of Best Picture nomination, it would be Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” which has a great shot as the Golden Globe for Best Comedy/Musical. Friends who have seen it have come away impressed with one arguing that it’s better than the director’s two other films, “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” High praise, indeed.

The Motion Picture Academy announced Wednesday that for the first time in more than 65 years, the field of best picture nominees will be expanded to 10 contenders for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

“Having 10 best picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” said Acad prexy Sid Ganis in announcing the shift. “I can’t wait to see what that list of 10 looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”

The last time the Oscar race featured 10 best pic contenders was the 16th annual contest in 1943, when "Casablanca" emerged with the top prize. There were 10 best pic noms for most of the Academy Awards' first decade. In 1935 there was a bumper crop of 12 nominees.

Acad's decision will undoubtedly add heat to next year's Oscar campaigning, especially in a year when no obvious front-runners have emerged in the first half. The move also comes on the heels of biz complaints that the Acad's rule of limiting the pic nominees to the top five vote-getters elbows out some of the more popular titles, such as last year's B.O. champ "The Dark Knight."

Monday, June 22, 2009

It's been seven years since one of the darkest weeks of Cardinal history.

Darryl Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002)) played his last game on June 18, 2002, the same day that Jack Buck died. Darryl tragically died seven years ago today in Chicago.

Joe Buck broke the news on Fox that day. And it was Joe Girardi who made the announcement at Wrigley:

"I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has cancelled the game today. Thank you.... Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals' family."

"I don't think there is anyone in any sport who combined the supreme talent with a great personality. He is also is one of the most beautiful people who ever walked the face of the earth. I don't think there's anybody who compares to Stan Musial on both fronts."

"It's such a beautiful sport, with no politics involved, no color, no class. Only as a youngster can you play and as a pro can you win. The game has kept me young, involved and excited and for me to be up here with gems of baseball"

"It (George Steinbrenner's new yacht) was a beautiful thing to observe with all thirty oars working in unison."

"Kid (White Sox broadcaster John Rooney), you better slow down. You're going to wear 'em out in a week, and you've got to be out there for one-hundred sixty-two."

"That's a winner."

"The biggest kick I get is to communicate with those who are exiled from the game — in hospitals, homes, prisons — those who have seldom seen a game, who can't travel to a game, those who are blind."

"When Harry and I were doing the games together, we were as good as a team as there ever was. His style and mine were so different that it made for a balanced broadcast. The way we approached the job, with the interest and love both of us had for the game, made our work kind of special." - from Jack Buck - That's A Winner (1999)

10. I'm not available9. I'm out of town8. Just not interested7. You know, I never really cared for the show6. I'm waiting for the exterminator5. I gotta do a thing -- anything4. I'm just not a fan3. It's the digital TV switchover2. Honestly, I don't feel like it1. Frankly, it's none of your business

Thursday, June 11, 2009

A little over five years ago Andy Samberg gave up his unemployment checks to take a job writing a few gags for a television special, the MTV Movie Awards. He took a pay cut.

Still, it turned out to be a good career move. The assignment led to an audition at “Saturday Night Live,” a job on that show and growing fame for a series of short digital comedy films, some of which have been downloaded tens of millions of times. And now, in a scene right out of one of the popcorn movies that the awards celebrate, Mr. Samberg is back as the host of the ceremony. (It will be broadcast live on Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern time.)

Conan O'Brien is now the host of The Tonight Show but will the bits from Late Night work an hour earlier?

“We’re going to kind of see as we go what people go for, what people respond to,” says writer Brian Stack, a Second City alum. “I think the basic sensibility of the show may not need to change that much — especially in things like remotes, when [Conan] goes out into the field. I think he’s often at his funniest when he’s out circulating in various fish-out-of-water situations. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the seriously off-the-wall, insane stuff may have to get toned down a little bit, but I hope there’s still room for some of that.”

So while the Masturbating Bear may or may not be cleared to do his disgusting deed at 10:35 p.m., it’s entirely possible — even probable — that the Conan of new will more than passingly resemble the Conan of old.

“We’ve been shooting some bits and working on some things that retain some of that off-the-wall spirit,” says Stack, “and I hope people respond to it and that we can keep doing it. And I know in the remotes [Conan’s] shot since he’s been out here, his sense of humor doesn’t seem to be toned down or watered down at all. He’s pretty much doing it like he’s always done it.”[...]

Another source of potential yuks is the “Tonight Show” compound itself. Whereas Conan and crew were encamped at the storied epicenter of American television production, 30 Rockefeller Center, in New York, they’ll now make merriment in a bigger, posher, free-standing structure erected especially for them.

“It’s a beautiful studio and I hope that it still retains some sense of being in a theater,” Stack says of the performance space. “One of the reasons I always loved Studio 6A [at Rockefeller Center] for ‘Late Night’ was it felt almost like we were back at Second City. It was about that size. There were times where you’d forget that there were cameras there. You almost felt like you were doing it for these 200 people that were sitting there. I think that always kind of helped us in some ways. It could probably paralyze you if you thought about how many people were actually seeing the madness.”

At the movies, Allen’s most natural heir and the most successful representative of the new Jewish humor is Judd Apatow, who has pointedly put Jewish characters in many of his mainstream comedies (a genre that tends to omit potentially discomforting details like religion). To those of us raised on Allen’s films, Apatow’s schlumpy, relaxed good guys may hardly seem Jewish at all—they’re more defined by their status as slackers, stoners, horndogs, and underachievers. They might have grown up asking the Four Questions at the Seder table, but they wear their religious heritage with a casualness—neither obsessive nor dismissive—that is light-years from the scratchy suit in which Allen seemed trapped.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

An elderly gunman exchanged fire with security guards inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday. One security guard and the gunman were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as James Wenneker von Brunn, 88, from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, NBC News reported. NBC said he may have had connections to hate groups or anti-government groups.

D.C. police spokeswoman Traci Hughes said the suspect walked into the museum at about 12:50 p.m. ET with a rifle and shot a guard. U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser says one or more guards at the museum returned fire, hitting the suspect.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Coming Soon spoke with Harold Ramis seeing as he is making the rounds promoting Year One, the upcoming comedy with Jack Black and Michael Cera.

"I wrote the story for the new movie with them, and Dan and I've been consulting. We're just waiting to see a first draft and where we are," Ramis told us, although he's very optimistic it will happen with Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson returning as well. "Everyone says they'll do it, they've all said they'll do it. No one has signed anything yet--we haven't signed anything either--but there's the spirit of willingness in the air."

Last week, Ivan Reitman was asked by MTV about his involvement in the project, but Ramis isn't so sure Reitman would want to direct it, even though it's obviously too early to tell. "I don't think he wants to; I'm not sure I want to (direct). It's just a lot of open questions. Until we see a script, I don't think anyone really knows how they feel about it. Everyone's open to doing it, that's the main thing, that's what got it moving forward."

*A five-way jury hold veto over any Ghostbusters film. Reitman is one party, three more are Murray, Ramis and Aykroyd, and the fifth is Columbia Pictures. If any of these want to nix the project, they can. It seems this would also apply to films that the individual would not be involved in - say, if Reitman wasn’t set to direct, or one of the actors not set appear, they could still wield the axe.

*I was sent an e-mail from a source inside the industry who wanted to relate a little Ghostbusters 3 gossip. According to them, Jake Kasdan wants the directing gig. As in actively wants it and, I would assume, is pursuing it. If the job was mine to give, I’d be putting a bow on it for him now.

'Caddyshack,' 'Animal House,' and 'Groundhog Day' were generation-defining films. What are the iconic movies of this generation?I have sons who are 19 and 14, so I can actually track these things. 'Napoleon Dynamite' was a big movie for them, for a lot of young people. 'Superbad' was a big defining movie and a lot of adolescents will live their lives now remembering 'Superbad.' All the Judd Apatow work, 'Harold and Kumar'... you know, all these really raunchy comedies. And probably those filmmakers would say the same thing you did - they remember our stuff from their childhoods. Will Ferrell to some extent, Ben Stiller films - these are the lines my sons repeat with their friends now.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

— Every SEC conference game may be televised on one of the ESPN platform of networks. For UK at this time every game, will either be on CBS, ESPN or ESPN 2. There will be as many as two times as many SEC games on national television and ESPN will have a national game on 2 different nights, as opposed to one on under the other contract.

— For Kentucky, the non-conference home games will also be on the ESPN networks more often and only 2-3 games will be on the local only affiliate.

— The SEC Tournament will be on the ESPN 2 and CBS.

— SEC games can be on ESPN or ESPN 2 on weekends, a scenario that was only rarely available under the old contract.

Bottom line: in football every game is on national tv and in basketball all of UK games except a couple of terrible ones are on national tv. The regional network will use the ESPN talent and there will be no game which a fan in New York, Boston, LA, Dallas, Houston, etc cannot see. Think about that for a second.

All in all, UK will likely have more combined football/basketball games on national television than any other program. That is big folks and with Calipari here to take advantage and the ability of the football team to benefit from the added exposure, the SEC deal is as sweet for Kentucky as for any other school

"We can't see actual penguins on the satellite maps because the resolution isn't good enough," said mapping expert Peter Fretwell. "But during the breeding season the birds stay at a colony for eight months. The ice gets pretty dirty and it's the guano stains that we can see."

The method helped scientists identify 38 penguin colonies -- of those, 10 were new. Of previously known colonies, six had re-located and six were not found.

"This is a very exciting development. Now we know exactly where the penguins are, the next step will be to count each colony so we can get a much better picture of population size," said penguin ecologist Phil Trathan.

"Using satellite images combined with counts of penguin numbers puts us in a much better position to monitor future population changes over time."

Estimates put the total number of penguins at between 200,000 and 400,000 breeding pairs.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Dick Cheney rarely takes a position that places him at a more progressive tilt than President Obama. But on Monday, the former vice president did just that, saying that he supports gay marriage as long as it is deemed legal by state and not federal government.

Speaking at the National Press Club for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation journalism awards, Cheney was asked about recent rulings and legislative action in Iowa and elsewhere that allowed for gay couples to legally wed.

"I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," replied the former V.P. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that the historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis. ... But I don't have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that."

Here's video of the former vice president speaking to the National Press Club in Washington, DC:

Welcome Morethedoxy to the blogosphere...well, at least the Jewish blogosphere. The blog consists of four Modern Orthodox rabbis and an Orthodox Maharat writing blog posts "about how they see Judaism, Israel, the Jewish People and our world."

I know one of the Rabbis very well (I should, I belong to that shul) and I've met the other one when I was in Houston for a Bat Mitzvah.

Contributors

Some info:Though a Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts fan, The Kentucky Democrat is currently based in Chicago. Solzman is a social commentator on sports, politics, and entertainment. Solzman currently writes a number of book reviews for The Kentucky Democrat in the categories of sports, humor, entertainment, politics, American history, and select fiction and science-fiction.

If you would like for Solzman to review a book, please feel free to get in touch with her. Kentucky Wildcats: 2012 National Champions St. Louis Cardinals: 2011 World Series Champions! Boston Celtics: 2008 World Champions! Indianapolis Colts: 2007 Super Bowl Champions
"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."--Ted Kennedy, 1980Contact Me.Redbirds Fun